Sex offender arrested for child porn

HASTINGS, Mich. (WOOD) - A registered sex offender from Hastings is facing new possession of child pornography charges.

Troy Balyeat, 45, has been charged with possession of child abusive material and being a fourth-time habitual offender.

According to Hastings police, Balyeat admitted he viewed child pornography on a computer that he had rented. Police obtained a search warrant and seized the images with assistance from the Michigan State Police Computer Crime Lab.

At the time of his arrest, Balyeat was on parole for a previous conviction for criminal sexual conduct. One of Balyeat's parole conditions required him to not own a computer or device capable of connecting to the Internet.

State records show he pleaded guilty in Kent County to one count of second-degree CSC with a person under the age of 13 in 2000 for an incident and was sentenced to five to 30 years in prison. Balyeat was paroled for that offense in February 2011.

He also pleaded guilty to the same crime in 1992 for an offense that occurred in Ionia County. He was sentenced to four to 15 years in prison and was discharged from the system in 1998.

Bayleat is in the Barry County Jail on a $250,000 bond.